Firearms renewal medical form.

[kenj 131]

I have had an early firearms license renewal form from Thames Valley Police and submitted the medical form to a doctor at my local surgery. I have paid £45 CASH, but despite enquiring several times over the last three weeks, it has not been completed by the doctor. A friend with a different surgery paid £35 and had his back after two days. Any suggestions?

[Gav 1,708]

My mate booked an appointment and got the quack to fill it in there and then free.

All you can do is keep hassling them, I'm sure they'd do it to shut you up if you were tactile enough, ask why its taken so long? Book an appontment and ask the gp direct?

Its hard because there is no obligation for gps to sign the form, and they can charge what they want, there has been reports of this before. 

Gp's now run as a buisness not a service (my own gp told me this years ago),

[Dervburner 2,549]

Just got mine done, £15:00 but no hassle so worth it to me. As Gav says, they have no obligation to even do it, leaving the applicant with a problem. The home office should put some sort of protocol in place imo.

[Meece 1,957]

This medical certificate isn't law.  It is another hoop that plod has dreamt up to shift any blame off of them.  The doctors couldn't give a monkies about it other than it's a nice little earner for bugger all.   I paid £30. Son in law has been charged £60 by the same practice 6 months later. The form is just a series of tick boxes like is he a nutter or on xyz anti depressants or has he tried to commit suicide ence,ect. Two minutes max.  And what are any of the orgs doing to challenge any of this.?? Sweet FA.  Totally unfit for purpose.

[ianm 2,594]

11 minutes ago, Meece said:

This medical certificate isn't law.  It is another hoop that plod has dreamt up to shift any blame off of them.  The doctors couldn't give a monkies about it other than it's a nice little earner for bugger all.   I paid £30. Son in law has been charged £60 by the same practice 6 months later. The form is just a series of tick boxes like is he a nutter or on xyz anti depressants or has he tried to commit suicide ence,ect. Two minutes max.  And what are any of the orgs doing to challenge any of this.?? Sweet FA.  Totally unfit for purpose.

I contacted BASC when this first came about and i asked what they intended doing about it. The answer i got was "we are trying to get an applicant to come to us complaining about it so that we can challenge it in court". However guess what? nobody is willing to challenge it, they have all to date, done what you have done ie: paid up and let plod off the hook.    

[Dervburner 2,549]

8 minutes ago, ianm said:

I contacted BASC when this first came about and i asked what they intended doing about it. The answer i got was "we are trying to get an applicant to come to us complaining about it so that we can challenge it in court". However guess what? nobody is willing to challenge it, they have all to date, done what you have done ie: paid up and let plod off the hook.    

I agree Ian, the problem is what happened to a friend of mine. His doctor refused to fill in the form and the police refused to process his application without it. When he told the police they advised him to change his doctor. When he ran out of time and was faced with putting his guns into storage with rfd, he had to go to another doctor. His application then got processed. The police follow guidelines which aren’t mandatory and that’s the problem. Guidelines are nothing more than a suggestion and aren’t legally binding and aren’t enforceable by law. 

 

 

[Stavross 15,539]

4 hours ago, ianm said:

I contacted BASC when this first came about and i asked what they intended doing about it. The answer i got was "we are trying to get an applicant to come to us complaining about it so that we can challenge it in court". However guess what? nobody is willing to challenge it, they have all to date, done what you have done ie: paid up and let plod off the hook.    

That’s the problem, finding someone who is willing to be the test case, at the minute we don’t have to do it ( yet ) I’m not sure I would be willing to be the first to challenge it, even with the backing of a shooting organisation 

[ianm 2,594]

Just now, Stavross said:

That’s the problem, finding someone who is willing to be the test case, at the minute we don’t have to do it ( yet ) I’m not sure I would be willing to be the first to challenge it, even with the backing of a shooting organisation 

I fully understand the reasons why people would be reluctant to challenge it via a court case and plod know it too.

However people who won't do it themselves blame the shooting organisations instead of stepping up to the plate. These people are always quick to condemn others but lack the courage to do it themselves. 

The way i see it is, if you are not prepared to have a go yourself keep your condemnation of others and shooting organisations to yourself instead of being hypocritical.  

[Dervburner 2,549]

24 minutes ago, Stavross said:

That’s the problem, finding someone who is willing to be the test case, at the minute we don’t have to do it ( yet ) I’m not sure I would be willing to be the first to challenge it, even with the backing of a shooting organisation 

Although I don’t agree with how the police can demand this and refuse to process your application without it, for £15 I certainly wasn’t prepared to kick a fuss up about it. My doctor just did it, charged me £15 and that’s that done. Not worth the hassle for me, it’s done, that’s it. I’m pretty sure it will be standard practice across the country within the next couple of years.

[Stavross 15,539]

What they need is an old boy who is due to renew but wasn’t going to bother  because his, out at night tramping across fields days are over, to me it just looks like shifting the blame and work load onto someone else, you have always had to give permission for them to access your medical records, so they should do it, 

Edited March 2, 2021 by Stavross

[kenj 131]

Thanks for the comments. When I handed over my  £45, I was told that I would have it back in two days, but all I get is that she is very busy due to Covid and that they will let me know when it is done. I was in the surgery on another subject last week (you can't get in without an appointment) and saw that the Dr was working that day, so after seeing the duty doctor, I asked at the reception, if I could wait, until she had completed the form. It was like I had asked for them to hand over the Crown Jewels. Head shaking and the same reply, "Very busy, cannot disturb her, we'll let you know, when it's signed." They are not Gods, they are doing a job like anybody else, although Drs have cast iron jobs and bullet proof pensions and don't have to worry about Customer Service like the rest of us running a business. I've got two months to complete the form with Thames Valley and have already burned through half of that waiting. If I kick up too much of a stink, they might put me down as unstable on the form. You can't win against these people.

[Meece 1,957]

1 hour ago, ianm said:

I fully understand the reasons why people would be reluctant to challenge it via a court case and plod know it too.

However people who won't do it themselves blame the shooting organisations instead of stepping up to the plate. These people are always quick to condemn others but lack the courage to do it themselves. 

The way i see it is, if you are not prepared to have a go yourself keep your condemnation of others and shooting organisations to yourself instead of being hypocritical.  

That's the biggest cop out of all.  Basic state that they the leading org supporting British sportsmen.  Coming out with a load of crap like we can't find anyone to challenge it is so weak. I'm  not a member of basic and never will be because of their behaviour in circumstances like this.  Look at what kwis did to them in regard to the General licence.   He completely blind sided the whole organisation making them a complete gang of chimps.  I can afford the price at whatever but a lot can't and the more people pack in shooting the less shops there will be open and jobs will go.  This forum is one of the main shooting forums in this country and when do they ever come on here to explain what is happening and what they are doing on behalf of their PAYING MEMBERS.  NEVER.!! They state that they are in CONSULTATION with plod.?  SO What does that mean. As far as I am aware they .....  (Pre, covid) met up about every six months, had a cup of tea, a chat about hounds and the wind and left it at that in the hope of not rocking the boat. Basic should be up at them like a rabid dog not a whimpering slug. As far as plod is concerned shooting of any kind is an unessessary hobby that is using up their budget and being a pain in the bum to administer.

[ianm 2,594]

1 hour ago, Meece said:

That's the biggest cop out of all.  Basic state that they the leading org supporting British sportsmen.  Coming out with a load of crap like we can't find anyone to challenge it is so weak. I'm  not a member of basic and never will be because of their behaviour in circumstances like this.  Look at what kwis did to them in regard to the General licence.   He completely blind sided the whole organisation making them a complete gang of chimps.  I can afford the price at whatever but a lot can't and the more people pack in shooting the less shops there will be open and jobs will go.  This forum is one of the main shooting forums in this country and when do they ever come on here to explain what is happening and what they are doing on behalf of their PAYING MEMBERS.  NEVER.!! They state that they are in CONSULTATION with plod.?  SO What does that mean. As far as I am aware they .....  (Pre, covid) met up about every six months, had a cup of tea, a chat about hounds and the wind and left it at that in the hope of not rocking the boat. Basic should be up at them like a rabid dog not a whimpering slug. As far as plod is concerned shooting of any kind is an unessessary hobby that is using up their budget and being a pain in the bum to administer.

I am not particularly a fan of BASC but you cannot blame them in this instance. If you feel so strongly about it, i will tell you what i will do. Seeing as you aren't a member let me know when you are six months from renewal and i will pay the subs for you. Then you can let BASC take up a legal challenge for you.

 

[Meece 1,957]

2 hours ago, ianm said:

I am not particularly a fan of BASC but you cannot blame them in this instance. If you feel so strongly about it, i will tell you what i will do. Seeing as you aren't a member let me know when you are six months from renewal and i will pay the subs for you. Then you can let BASC take up a legal challenge for you.

 

Thank you for the kind offer but seeing as I have just renewed it will be nearly another five years to the next renewal and even so I'm more than able to finance myself although I wouldn't want to be associated with this 2 bob org.  goodness only knows what the situation will be by that time.  with an impending lead ban over the horizon and the probable demise of game shooting due to the efforts of Kwis and his like of scum,/ and basic / general economics of game shooting, I can see that virtually no one will be into shooting.  What with the increase of costs and the total disinterest of the vast majority of the young pulling themselves away from their phone screens the amount of shooters may diminish to a very small hardcore of diehards.  Only the other evening there was a program about eskimo hunters on the east of Greenland.  A forty year old hunter recons that he will be the last of the hunters there.  He has two sons and neither of them are interested in hunting and when one of them had to kill a seal for food the boy cried.  Times are changing rapidly.  I am booked in June for a days informal drive clay simulated driven game.  I've been before and all of the guns there were of the opinion that this was the future but like my rifle club shooting there are no youngsters coming along.  A. there is no interest and B. its all to expensive.  Seeing as jobs and  wages for the young are a bit on the thin side due to the pandemic ect, I don't see a bright future for shooting or any country sport especially when the orgs don't bother. Personally I don't give a toss about basic. it just frustrates me that they profess to be doing so much yet there is nothing but capitulation from them on all fronts.  The only thing that they seem to be active in is hyping themselves up to sell any old tat and insurance at vastly inflated prices to a willing audience of people who want to be seen with all the gear and the car sticker.

[KimE 487]

British firearm regulation are always a joy to learn about. In Sweden you apply for your hunting firearms license then you have taken your huntingexam and have them until the police say you cant have them any because you have commited a crime or your doctor informs the police you are unfit for having firearms. The doctors often forget to ask about firearms or driver licenses or forget to give the police the information.